Honoring a civil rights pioneer, Leesburg dedicates Virgil D. Hawkins plaque

LEESBURG — People gathered just off Second Street Thursday in downtown Leesburg — next to what is now an accountant's office — to honor and remember Virgil D. Hawkins, a man who spent decades fighting to earn the right to practice law in Florida and in the process gained that freedom for everyone.

"Today the family of Virgil Darnell Hawkins says to the beautiful Lakefront City of Leesburg — our home and yours — 'Thank you,' for recognizing the office space once occupied by the South's most patient man and the South's first civil rights pioneer," said Harriet Livingston, who is Hawkins' niece.

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Hawkins' practice at 201 North Second Street was the culmination of a lifelong dream deferred by the state of Florida. Hawkins applied to the University of Florida Law School in 1949. He met all the qualifications but was denied admission because he was Black.

"Back in 1949, trying to gain entrance in the University of Florida was a difficult situation to live through. But God knew that our uncle would stand," said Livingston. "He was convinced that he must bear the cross for many, and he did. And in a real sense, Uncle Darnell stifled his dignity so that others may amplify theirs."

He took his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor in 1956. But Gov. LeRoy Collins and the Florida courts refused to uphold the ruling, arguing that a Black man on campus would lead to "great public mischief."

Hawkins' legacy: He 'stifled his dignity so that others may amplify theirs'

Martha Taylor of the Tri-City NAACP commented on his struggle with the courts, and the greater good it provided.

"If it were not for his selfless dedication to pursuing his dream to become a lawyer, the NAACP might not have had a case in the fight for desegregation," Taylor said. "Mr. Hawkins did not set out to become the catalyst to solve the ills of the education system, his dream was not to be the target of bigotry and hatred that his family suffered but he had the courage to stand and fight for what he knew was right."

Hawkins withdrew his application in 1958 in return for a state order to desegregate the university's graduate and professional programs.

He attended the New England College of Law in Boston, but, again, the state stood in his way: As the school was unaccredited, he could not take the Florida Bar exam.

Hawkins was undeterred, and in 1976 the Florida Supreme Court ordered he be admitted to the Bar without an exam. A year later, at the age of 70, he opened his law office in downtown Leesburg. Hawkins' practice served people who needed legal help but could not afford it. He was remembered as a fiery and passionate advocate, even in his old age.

Joyce Jones, who served as his legal secretary, said it was an exciting time and an honor to be part of his legacy of helping others.

"He was always looking out for other people," Jones said. "The rest of us have a lot to live up too."

Hawkins died in 1988, but his fight against Jim Crow laws in Florida forced integration at UF and paved the way for people of every color to earn a degree.

"It's really important that we teach those stories in addition to the national stories to students here in Lake County," said city commissioner Dan Robuck, who helped get the marker placed. "It really strikes home that it happened here and that if we're not cognizant that it could happen again — that it happens every day."

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Leesburg dedicates plaque for civil rights pioneer Virgil D. Hawkins